Professor David Phinnemore’s research interests are focused on European integration and cover in particular processes of EU treaty reform and their impact on the EU, the political dynamics underpinning EU enlargement and the EU’s relations with European non-member states. The UK's withdrawal from the EU has led to a recent focus on ‘Brexit’ and in particular the implications for Ireland/Northern Ireland and on UK-EU relations.

Professor Phinnemore is currently coordinating the ESRC-funded project "Governance for 'a place between’: the Multilevel Dynamics of Implementing the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland": https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/post-brexit-governance-ni/